Existing methods of joining two or more lengths of conduit to a junction box involves coating the end of the conduit to be glued with adhesive and inserting the end into the spigot of the junction box. It is necessary to have respective size of spigot for the conduit. Further a junction box having the desired number of spigots for the required sizes is required. Thus a large range of junction boxes must be produced and stored to meet the needs. Further because of the requirement of gluing, the joints are permanent and the junction box is therefore non-reusable or altered to a different configuration.
Attempts have been made to overcome this problem by providing a junction box which has connectors which lock into ports in a junction box. Some systems utilized a metal junction box with threaded ports where adaptors are screwed thereto. A modification of this system is described in South African Patent No. 71/3652.
In particular, there are provided ports in a junction box having the same sized notches surrounding each port. The connector comprises a series of lugs, located at one end thereof, which are so sized and positioned as to fit through the notches of a port such that when the connector is inserted in the port and rotated, the wall surrounding the port is located between an annular shoulder and the lugs. Also located on the shoulder is a projection which snaps into a notch in the wall surrounding the port to lock the connector in place. The problem with this arrangement is that the connection is not readily released. As the wall of the port is sandwiched between the lugs and the shoulder, with the projection connected to the substantially rigid shoulder there is very little chance of distorting the material to free the projection except by considerable force or by prying the wall away from the projection by a screw driver or the like which could damage either the wall of the junction box or the connector and prevent reuse of the component.